


Timeout

by VarjoRuusu



Category: Black Sails
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, And he didn't even notice, Anne is the only one who is still really broken, But is only mentioned, Cute, Eleanor is fond of hostile takeovers, F/F, F/M, Flint's timer ran out, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Past Flint/Hamilton, Shipping Company, Silver still can't cook, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Thomas lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-27
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-10-24 12:51:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10742067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VarjoRuusu/pseuds/VarjoRuusu
Summary: James Flint is too busy warding off yet another hostile takeover by his business partner, Eleanor Guthrie, that he doesn't even notice when his timer runs out, meaning he's me his soulmate and not even noticed.In which James is not broken, just over worked, Anne is broken and perpetually annoyed at everyone, Eleanor is a scheming wench, and John Silver still can't cook.Modern AU Soulmate Timer Fluff that no one asked for. <3





	Timeout

“What the fuck?” James muttered, glancing at his arm, his other hand stilling on the handle of the coffee pot. His eyebrows twitched as he took in the clock on his left forearm, the clock that now read 00:00:00:00, sitting there quietly as if nothing was wrong. The only problem was, James had no idea when it had stopped.

The last time he'd had the time to even glance at his Soul Clock it had still read 00:415:14:21, approximately seventeen days and change. He had thought he'd have time to check it again, closer to the date, but now he had no idea when that had even been. He'd been so busy, being rushed around for work, flying to Kingston and back three times in the last two weeks, not to mention the overnight to London that had very nearly killed him or forced him to quit this awful job he worked, never mind that he owned the company, but he never imagined he'd miss it when the clock timed out.

He wracked his mind, trying to think of all the people he'd met in the last week or so but it was hard, they had just started a new project at the company and there was a whole team of new people in the office. It could have been any one of them. He cursed, pushing to coffee pot back and picking up his phone instead, dialing the number quickly.

“What is it, James, I'm a little busy,” Jack growled when he picked up the phone.

“Get your dick out of your girlfriend and give her the phone,” James snapped. “I have a serious problem.”

There were some curses on the other end before Anne's voice came over the line. “You'll get over it, Jack! Or better yet, go get Charles to suck it for you,” she yelled at Jack, before the telltale sound of the bathroom door clicking shut reached James' ear.

“Anne, that was not an image I needed,” James said, feeling a little green and wondering why he was friends with these people. Jack was one of the oddest people he knew, a man with two counters, which had led him first to Anne Bonny, then a short time later, Charles Vane, the grumpiest professional biker James had ever met. He still had no idea where Charles got the money for the customized motorcycles he road, but the man was loaded and he did nothing all day but ride around to bars and biker rallies and get in fights.

“What's the problem, love?” she asked, completely ignoring his statement.

“My timer's done,” he said quickly, eyes returning to his arm. He could almost hear Anne sucking in a breath to make a dirty comment when he interjected “I don't know when it happened,” followed by silence.

“How the fuck do you not know when it happened?” she said shrilly and James held the phone away from his ear.

“Sometime in the last few days,” he amended. “I got a look about three weeks ago and it said seventeen days but now it's at zero and there are about twenty-five new people at work and I have literally no clue which one of them it could be.”

“Jesus,” Anne groaned. “No one's said anything to you?” she asked and James rubbed his head. He hadn't even noticed anyone looking at him funny, much less anyone saying anything to him.

“What am I supposed to do? I've been traveling the last week, what if it was some random person on the plane, or someone in a coffee shop? I have absolutely no idea where to look and I missed it,” he growled, wanting to pound his head at his own stupidity.

James wasn't overly dependent on the idea of finding a soulmate to make him happy, he wasn't necessarily even looking for someone to share a bed with or love, but he had wanted to meet them at least once, and maybe make a friend. He couldn't believe he had lost track of the time, so close to the meeting.

“Start off by rounding up everyone at work and demanding to see their timers?” Anne suggested and James groaned.

“You know that's beyond rude, Anne,” he muttered and he could practically see her shrug.

“Have the bitch send an anonymous memo around,” she said and James rolled his eyes.

“Eleanor is not that bad,” he said, referring the main partner in his shipping company. A shipping company that some days, like today, he wished he'd never started in the first place. Eleanor had been something like a niece to him when she was growing up, so he had a soft spot for her, but when she took over her father's holdings in the company, everything had started going south.

“She and Hornigold tried to steal the controlling interest out from under you last year. Again,” Anne growled, causing James to chuckle.

“Which is why I signed over 15% each to you and Jack, so that if she manages to get my 26% to go along with her 12% and Max's 12%, she'll still be missing the 1% she needs for a majority,” he grinned.

“You ever going to tell me what the fuck you did with the other missing 20%?” Anne asked again and James shrugged. He had a plan for dealing with Eleanor Guthrie and he wasn't quite ready to share it.

“Maybe someday, but for now I prefer to keep that particular investment a secret,” he said. “Now, do you have any better suggestions than an interdepartmental memo?”

“Pick the hottest bloke in the room and fuck him?” Anne suggested, her voice distracted as someone pounded on the bathroom door, deep voice that sounded distinctly like Charles carrying through the wood and the phone.

“I'll just leave you to it,” James said, knowing Anne wasn't really listening. He hung up before he had to hear anything else that would make his ears bleed. He was no prude, but he really did not need to know the inner workings of the relationship that was Anne Bonny, Jack Rackham, and Charles Vane.  


-:-:-

 

James frowned into his coffee the next morning as he rode the elevator to top floor of the Guthrie/Flint Shipping Consortium, glowering at his own name on the wall as he passed his secretary and entered his office. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Good morning,” the cheery voice said, and James whipped around to find one of the new people seated in front of his desk, feet propped up casually on the second chair, a shipping manifest in one hand and a coffee cup in the other.

“What are you doing in here?” he asked, dumbly.

“Idelle said I could wait in here, I found a problem with the route you suggested for the shipment of tobacco to Italy,” the man said, flicking a dark curl out of his blue eyes.

“Who are you again?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Oh, sorry,” the man said, hopping up as he set down his coffee and held out his hand. “John Silver, I'm here with the team from Teach Enterprises.”

“Right,” James said, setting his own coffee down and reaching out for the offered hand. “Nice to meet you,” he muttered.

“You too, Mr. Flint,” Silver said, pausing when his hand gripped James'.

James blinked, feeling his arm tingling and he dropped Silver's hand. He put his briefcase on the desk and rubbed his arm where it burned. In front of him Silver was fiddling with the button on his own sleeve and pulling it up, away from where his timer would be. His eyes widened and he looked up at James, surprise clear on his face. James tugged his own cuff open and pulled it back from his timer.

 _John Silver_ was now scrawled neatly where the timer had once been. Glancing at the other mans arm he saw his own name, _James Flint McGraw_ scrawled there.

“Hello,” Silver said with a grin and James chuckled.

“Hello,” he said, his eyes meeting the other mans.

“Does this usually happen?” Silver asked and James shrugged. “Not normally, I don't think, but maybe because we missed the countdown ending?”

“That was your fault by the way, it was last week when we were in that meeting and you were on the phone with Teach shouting bloody murder. All I could do was sit there in a room of forty people and watch my timer tick down. If I think about it, actually, it hit zero when you walked in the room,” he grinned. “I suppose I shouldn't be all that surprised with this,” he waved at his arm.

“At least you were paying attention,” Flint snorted. “I only noticed it was out yesterday.”

“Are you really that busy?” Silver asked, resuming his seat as James shrugged off his coat and hung it up, sinking heavily into the office chair behind his desk and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“As you know my partner, Eleanor Guthrie and her wife, hold a combined 24% percent of this companies interest. Three months ago they, and Benjamin Hornigold, who at the time held 27% of the interest, tried to combine forces to oust me from my own company. As you can see, it didn't work, and after I acquired his 27%, and had him thrown in jail, I added 3% of my own and split it between two of my close friends, therefore making it harder for Eleanor to steal my company from me. I also hid the remaining 20% of unsold interest with someone I trust, so that now there is no way that she can reach the 51% majority she needs to steal my life's work from under me. This is part of the reason why I am trying to bring in Edward Teach as a partner, since he has no fondness for Eleanor either,” James explained, the numbers bouncing around his head and making him want to scream.

“And why don't you just fire her?” Silver asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Because the outing of a shareholder must be voted unanimously by the others and with Max in her corner, that will never happen,” James sighed.

“So what are you going to do?” Silver questioned, leaning back in his chair. James mirrored him, watching the other man.

“I'm going to set the Treasury Department on her, in the form of her ex-husband,” James said with a small smirk. Silver grinned.

“I think I like you,” he said, his blue eyes sparkling. James chuckled.

“I think that was probably the point,” he said, waving at his arm.

“Yes, well,” Silver grinned. “That aside, can I take you out to dinner?”

“Why not?” James shrugged. “Now what's this problem you found?”  


-:-:-

 

“You really think Teach is going to stand for that?” Silver asked with a grin, his arm looped through James' as they walked down the street toward the pub where they were going to have dinner.

“He better stand for it or he's never going to get the routes to ship directly from Havana down the South American coast. He'll be forced to take the long way from San Diego and around the cape to get to Brazil,” James muttered, steering Silver around the corner towards his favorite pub.

“You are vicious, aren't you?” Silver said with a grin and James smirked in the shadows cast between street lamps.

“I do what I have to,” he said, watching Silver out of the corner of his eye. The man was nothing like he expected, he was so bubbly and positive that James wasn't quite sure what to do with it. It had been years since he had met someone so positive. His business partners tried to stab him in the back at least once a week and his best friends were Anne Bonny and Jack Rackham. You only ever had to meet one or the other just once to know 'positive' and 'happy' were not even in their vocabulary.

“Where are you from?” James asked finally, watching a shadow passing over Silver's face before it vanished.

“Bristol,” he said lightly a moment later. “Orphan, grew up bouncing from home to home. I don't really talk about it anymore, I'm here now and that's all that matters, right?”

James supposed he had a point. The past really wasn't much use, it didn't chance things anymore. He shrugged, nodding toward the pub door only to find they were closed for unknown reasons.

“I could cook something?” Silver said, raising his eyebrows. James nodded, not knowing what he was getting himself into as he turned them towards his apartment, the next block over.

-:-:-  


“When you offered to cook, I thought you actually meant you could cook,” James growled, dumping the blackened pan in the sink and turning the water on, steam hissing from the hot metal and clouding the air.

“I was trying to be...romantic?” Silver ventured and James rolled his eyes.

“I met you yesterday,” he pointed out and Silver chuckled.

“And my name is on your arm,” the other man said with a cheeky grin.

“You could have just said you can't cook, you idiot,” James said, trying to suppress a smile.

“Sorry,” Silver chuckled.

“You're lucky I have a stack of take away menus and that places around here deliver all night,” James grinned, shutting off the water and digging around in a drawer for the menus.

-:-:-

  
The next morning James woke to the sound of pounding coming from the front door.

“Wassat?” John muttered and James groaned, trying to press his face further between the warm shoulder blades he'd been using as a pillow.

“Anne,” he grumbled. “One of my friends, she comes for coffee every Saturday. I forgot. Go back to sleep,” he said, rolling out of bed and grabbing at a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as the pounding continued. Glancing back at the bed he saw John was already sound asleep again and he grinned.

“I'm coming,” he called when Anne stopped knocking for half a second.

“Hurry the fuck up,” her voice floated through the door.

“Good morning to you too, Anne,” James yawned, letting the redheaded woman into his apartment.

“I got a call last night from some slime of a lawyer saying that you can't legally sign my percentage over to me and that it's void, and that if I don't want to be ruined by a lawsuit I'll vote you out at the next shareholder meeting,” she said without preamble. James blinked.

“She's getting desperate,” he chuckled. “Don't worry, she'll be gone soon and we won't have this problem anymore.”

“Where the fuck is that other 20%?” Anne demanded. James sighed and poured them both coffee from the pot that had just finished automatically brewing the morning caffeine.

“With Thomas and Miranda,” he said and Anne paused, her eyes wide.

“What the fuck, you mean you gave the last 20% to your ex-boyfriend and his wife?” Anne screeched and James sighed again. Yes, he had given 20% of his company to Thomas Hamilton, but honestly, she knew they had parted on good terms. It wasn't like he hated the man, they just hadn't worked in the long term, since Thomas had no counter and James' had still had years left on it. After they parted Thomas had gone on to fall in love with and marry Miranda Barlow, a woman who's counter had vanished as a child.

“It seemed like the safest place to put it,” James grumbled over his coffee mug.  
  
“Fucking hell,” Anne muttered, her eyes wide. “When are you going to throw that bitch out of your company?” she asked, glowering. It was no secret she hated Eleanor Guthrie, no one at the company was fond of her or her repeated attempts at a hostile takeover. The first time had seemed like an accident, the second a joke. By the fifth it had gotten old.  
  
“Well I may have mentioned to that Rogers fellow from the Treasury Department, you know, the ex-husband she took to the cleaners in their divorce, that she's been skimming money off the top for the last three years. They're investigating and I imagine she'll be arrested in a week or so,” he smirked.  
  
Anne's face was expressionless for a moment before she lit up like a christmas tree, wide grin transforming her face into something that was for once less than hostile.  
  
“About time,” she said happily, or as happily as someone who almost never smiled unless it was tainted with bloodlust could be.

John chose that moment to emerge from the bedroom, sweatpants sitting low on his hips and his dark curls a complete tangled mess as he rubbed one eye and yawned, stopping when he saw James and Anne sitting at the table. James suspected that the man didn't remember their conversation from a few minutes ago in the slightest and he chuckled.  
  
“Morning,” he managed after a moment and Anne went from gaping at him to gaping at James.

“Jesus,” she said, her eyes wide. “Is that him?” John frowned at her while James grinned behind his mug.

“Anne Bonny, meet John Silver, the idiot who can't cook to save his life, who just happens to have the same timer I do. John, meet Anne Bonny, my dear, dear friend and confidant.”

Anne narrowed her eyes at the sarcasm in James' voice before turning back to look at John again. “How do you know he can't cook?” she asked skeptically and John turned a brilliant shade of red from his face all the way down to the top of his sweats.

“He tried to burn my kitchen down last night,” James said, seemingly unconcerned as he took a drink of his coffee. “The Irish Eye was closed, so he offered to 'cook'.”

“And I thought Jack and Charles had problems,” she muttered. “Speaking of which, I'm leaving, I have a bunch of meetings this morning. Let me know when the bitch is out,” she said, rising and grabbing her purse before she punched James' in the shoulder, her way of being affectionate, then left. He smiled as she let herself out and his eyes drifted to John, who still stood in the bedroom doorway looking bewildered.

“Acquired taste?” the dark haired man asked, edging forward toward the table and the pot of coffee.

“Very much so,” James chuckled. “I've known her almost all her life, so has Jack. They met when she was thirteen, but their timers didn't run out until they were in their twenties. Jack never knew Anne's was exactly the same because she realized and hid it. She's the most stubborn woman I've ever met, and probably the most damaged. Charles has had to adjust a great deal to being with them both all the time.”

“Both?” John squeaked, sinking into Anne's empty chair.

“Jack had two timers,” James shrugged. “They make it work. Now.” He didn't need to mention that Anne and Charles had nearly killed each other in the beginning. They still nearly killed each other most days.

“So...uh...” John started, staring at his mug of coffee, clearly not ready to say whatever he was going to try and say. “About last night...I'm sorry I nearly burned down your apartment?”

James chuckled, having expected something about how it was nice but they had moved too fast or something, considering they'd spent most of the night in bed, take out abandoned half eaten on the coffee table. The surprise was pleasant to say the least.

“I think you made up for it,” James smirked and John blushed deep red for the second time that morning. “So, what do I have to do to steal you from Teach and get your help taking down my backstabbing business partners?”

John grinned. “Not a damned thing. Ed hates me,” he said, glee in his voice and James laughed loudly.

“Please tell me you never actually called him 'Ed' to his face?” he asked and could tell by the look on John's face that he'd done just that. He had no idea how the man was still alive. “And you still have a job?”

“I'm good at what I do,” John said with a shrug. “And there's a clause in my contract that says I can quit, or be poached by another company, but he can't fire me.”

“How on earth did you mange that?” James asked, eyes wide.

“He uh, might be my great uncle,” John chuckled and James' mouth fell open a little.

“For the first time in my life,” he mumbled in awe, “I don't actually think the world is out to get me.”

John just grinned, leaning over and pulling James forward to kiss him soundly.

-:-:-

“You can't do this, Flint! I know what you did in Jamaica! I own you!” Eleanor screamed as they police dragged her from the building.

“It turns out the FBI knows what happened in Jamaica too,” James called with a wink. “So I think I have anything to worry about.”

“What happened in Jamaica?” John asked, eyebrows raised.

“You remember I told you there had been a run in with a drug lord who tried to kill me because I was encroaching on his business territory?"

“The one that calls himself Billy 'Bones'?” John asked, wrinkling his nose.

“Yes, that one,” James nodded.

“What did you do?” John's eyes narrowed.

“I offered him a business deal. Very under the table, very illegal. What Eleanor didn't know until now, is I turned him over to the FBI and have been feeding them information for the last few years, while working with him and making it look questionable to Eleanor. They're taking down his operation tonight,” James grinned like a wolf.

“You are quite brilliant, aren't you?” John grinned as the man from the Treasury made his way over to them.

“Mr. Flint, so nice doing business with you,” Rogers said with a grin as he shook James' hand watching the van disappear, Eleanor still screaming at them through the back window, but muffled now.

“The pleasure was all mine,” James grinned, nodding to the other man. When all of the police vans had finally pulled away from the building James slung and arm around John's shoulders and looked up.

“I'm going to have to get that sign changed,” he said lightly, watching the lights on 'Guthrie' flicker out so only 'Flint' was illuminated.

“Are you still going to try and get Teach to let you put his name on the building?” John asked as they went back inside to clean out Eleanor's office. Or rather, dump her things in boxes and steal her stapler.

“I was thinking more along the lines of just renaming the business,” James said casually, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it to John without looking at him. John glanced at the paper and grinned.

 **The Nassau Shipping Company  
** Flint – Silver – Bonny – Rackham – Vane – Hamilton  
_Managing Partners_

“You gave Charles a share?” John chuckled and James rolled his eyes.

“That's what you get out of this? That I gave Vane a share?” James asked and John shook his head.

“You put my name on it,” he chuckled and James nodded, pulling out another piece of paper.

“Edward Teach either really likes you, or really doesn't,” James said. “He's signed over everything that's ties his company to this one, to you. You own at least a quarter of his business as well as a quarter of mine now.”

John's eyes were wide as he took in the new details and he grinned, setting the papers down and walking up to James, catching his face in his hands and kissing him soundly.

“I love you,” John whispered against the other mans lips and James broke out in the widest smile he could ever remember smiling.

_-2 years later-_

“I can't fucking believe you married that idiot,” Anne growled and James chuckled, sipping his champagne as he watched John dancing enthusiastically with a large group of women.

“When are you going to say yes to them?” he countered, knowing that Jack had asked her to marry him, and Charles had asked her to marry him, after he had asked Jack to marry him.

“Why the fuck would I do that?” she asked, glaring at the dance floor where Jack and Charles, obviously both very inebriated already, were making fools of themselves.

“Anne, it may have escaped your noticed, but they won't hurt you. They both love you, they love each other, you were all predestined to meet,” James said, trying to be patient as he pulled Anne's arm out and pushed up her sleeve. Her timer had shifted recently and now it read _'Jack Rackham'_ along her arm, instead of a string of 0's.

“I don't fucking care,” she growled and James rolled his eyes, taking her arm and pulling her out onto a balcony, leaving the noise of the wedding reception behind them.

“Anne, listen to me,” he said quietly, taking her face in his hands and forcing her to look at him. “I know you've been hurt, and I know you don't trust, but please. Let it go. Let them in. Let yourself be happy.”

“I'm never happy,” she muttered and James rolled his eyes.

“Please, will you try?” he asked quietly. “For me? Just try.”

Anne stared at him for a long moment before she dropped her eyes and sighed. “I'll try,” she whispered and James nodded, pressing a kiss to her forehead and wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they went back inside.

“There you are,” John said happily as he practically collided with James. “Dance with me!”

“You had your first dance, that's all you get,” James said. Anne caught his eye, her most potent glare in place as she jerked her head at Jack and Charles. James sighed, understanding her threat. 'Try for him or I won't try for them.' With a glare at her he let John lead him onto the packed dance floor, smiling when his husband wrapped his arms around James neck and practically snuggled against him.

“I love you,” John whispered, or as close to whisper as he could over the music.

“I love you too,” James chuckled, hugging John close. “Even if you still can't cook.”

“Hey!”

**Author's Note:**

> As with all these stories, it got longer than I planned. Hope you enjoyed the insane amount of OOC'ness from...pretty much everyone but a season 1 Silver and just...Anne...who is always grouchy.
> 
> I’m on Tumblr [Beneath The Black Sails](http://www.beneaththeblacksails.tumblr.com)


End file.
